Break me, Save me
by LNicol1990
Summary: An accident leaves Light in hospital and L picking up the pieces. Rated T for moderate injury. On hiatus.
1. Break

Author's note: I know where this is going, but I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks. Oh, and just to warn you all: I write killer cliff hangers. ^_^ Also, I often fill plot holes without doing that much to them, so ideas would be really nice.

Disclaimer: Do I even need this? Obviously I don't own Death Note, otherwise L would never have died. (I was so sad that episode. T_T No, I haven't read the manga.)

Anyway, my first Death Note fic. Enjoy!

* * *

_It is not an easy thing to admit that you were wrong about something, especially when you are usually right ninety-eight percent of the time. But, fifty days solitary confinement and the performance given by Chief Detective Soichiro Yagami, I really did have no choice but to confess being wrong about suspecting the man's son, Light Yagami, of being Kira._

_So now, I am left with nothing. I have no recent clues about who Kira might be, or the reasons for the murders. And, most importantly, I still don't know how it is that he can kill so many people and from a distance. This is indeed my most difficult case to date, and one that I am no longer sure if I can solve._

_Regardless of whether or not Light Yagami is Kira, I placed him under my own personal surveillance, even going as far as to handcuff him and myself together with a two-metre long chain. Not surprisingly, I received many complaints from the others concerning that action, but it did not bother me. And Light, surprisingly enough, soon stopped constantly insisting that my precautions were unnecessary. Obviously he understood that nothing he could say would make me remove the cuffs any sooner than I was prepared to._

_I never understood what Light saw in Misa Amane, or... perhaps is it more accurate to say: I never understood how Light could stand Misa Amane. The girl constantly grates and distracts me and whenever she is around, I am certain that my reasoning abilities drop by twenty percent._

_And it is that very same Misa Amane that is currently disrupting the whole task force this evening at six-thirty-seven and twelve seconds._

"So, I'm going to be the main actress in his upcoming film!" the blonde proudly announced.

"That's great news, Misa-Misa," Matsuda congratulated happily.

The rest of the taskforce, however, looked less than impressed. Mogi and Aizawa looked at each other, both wondering what horror the young woman was preparing to inflict on them. Soichiro, however, was more than content to ignore Misa and continue with his work.

"You are pleased for me, aren't you Light?" Misa asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at him.

"Uhh... yeah, of course," Light answered unsurely, looking nervously at the face that was a mere inch from his own.

L watched, perched from the vantage point of another chair. He wondered if Misa could see the discomfort she was causing the young man beneath her gaze, but he guessed not. He had noticed that she was neither particularly bright nor observant. He could only sympathise on Light's situation.

It was then that he noticed that he had become the aspiring actress/model/singer's next target for attention. He could handle serial killers, terrorists, mafia, and drug rings. But the focus in that woman's eyes made him gulp.

"Light will be able to go out with me tonight, won't he?" Misa demanded, pouting dramatically at him.

"Wherever Light goes," L explained, lifting his right hand up to show the cuff. "I will go, as well."

"You have to be kidding me!" Misa whined. "I can't go out celebrating with my boyfriend for a couple of hours, alone?!"

"Light is still under surveillance, much like you are, Miss Amane," L noted factually.

"Umm, Ryuzaki..." Light began, obviously unsure of what he was asking.

L didn't reply. He could tell that Light wanted to make some comment, and he didn't doubt that it had something to do with taking off the handcuff. But, of course he would let the young man ask that.

"I don't mind if Ryuzaki comes with us, Misa," Light explained to the woman, who seemed to be trying to merge with the side of his neck, before turning back to L. "Although, it would be strange if we were handcuffed like that in public."

L thought about this comment. Indeed, it would appear odd that two adult men were handcuffed together. Also, Light had just stated that L could come with them on this 'celebratory date', and that meant that he could watch them. Of course, being willing could mean that nothing is going on, and Light has nothing to hide, like he says. Then again, he could be saying that to throw L off track, either by making L feel it's unnecessary to follow L, or by tricking him while the three of them are out.

It was a risk he felt willing to take.

"Yes, I suppose it would be difficult," L agreed after a second's thought. "Not to mention, many people may get between us and walk into the chain. So yes, I suppose I will have to remove the chain for tonight."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face L. Had they just heard him right? Had he just said that he'd remove the handcuffs?

Ignoring everyone's stares, L stood up and approached Light. He stuck a hand into his jean pocket and brought out a key. He stretched out his hand for Light's handcuffed wrist, which he received a moment later. After a click, the handcuff was gone from Light's wrist, and second later, it was the same for L.

"So, where are we going?" L asked, unaware that he'd done anything odd.

_And so, out we went. I kept thinking about the case, wondering what it was that I was missing. Of course I was thinking about the case, there isn't a moment when I'm not. However this outing with Light and Misa Amane was a break and distraction from staring at a screen, going in circles. Going nowhere in a case is not something I enjoy, and I suppose I had been hoping that something would come up, either so I could leave it alone for a while or so I could progress in the case._

_Light and I had already come to odds about whether we should continue this case actively, as he wished to do, or passively, as I thought to. We had broken several items in Misa Amane's room before Matsuda called the room and broke the tension between us. Although I have to admit, since then I have always been curious as to which of us would have won._

_We didn't go far from headquarters, just down the road and across the crossroad, to be precise. There had been a small cafe that Misa Amane had spoken of, and so we went there._

_I have to be honest. The cakes that were there most certainly captivated my attention and they had been baked quite well. I may have to ask Watari to go there and get more._

_So, unsurprisingly, I had a piece of cake and tea, with plenty of sugar of course. Light chose to have tea as well, and a sandwich. Misa Amane had, well... I'm not sure if I could repeat what she had, even in my mind._

_So, Miss Amane talked the most, while Light and myself listened, or in my case, pretended to listen to her. From what I did happen to hear while concentrating on my cake, I gathered that she was talking about her new part in an upcoming film, all the films she had been in and all of her photo-shoots._

_How someone can talk about themselves so much is beyond me. I cannot understand how people can find themselves that interesting, or maybe that is simply me._

_So, that little outing came to an end, and we began walking back to headquarters. I always found it odd to walk with both sides of the traffic on either side of me, but the others didn't seem to mind._

"I had sooo much fun tonight," Misa stated happily. "Didn't you guys have fun?"

"Uh, yeah," Light replied. "It was nice to get out for a while."

L didn't reply. He felt it unnecessary as Light had already given the response that he was going to use. Although he couldn't say that he had enjoyed it like Misa apparently had, he could say that he might have found it a pleasant distraction from the computer screens.

Feeling Misa's eyes on him, L thought up a different answer to the one Light had given. He knew that mentioning the cake might not be the best idea, and found himself hard struck on finding another reason.

Light looked forward and noticed a group of men was walking in the opposite direction to them. He might not have gotten out much in the evening like this, but he knew that these men were not to be messed with. So, he lowered his head so he was almost staring at the floor, but he kept looking in their direction.

Misa and L quickly picked up on Light's change in demeanour. After looking up the street, Misa understood. She gasped slightly, to which Light responded by putting his arm across her back and drew her closer to him.

L stared at the approaching gang and then back at Light and Misa. Not understanding their apparent fear of the men, L returned his attention to them.

"Hopefully, they're drunk enough to leave us alone," Light whispered to Misa, who nodded hopefully in agreement.

Sure enough, the gang passed them without incident. They apparently enjoyed the aura of fear from the people they passed. And then, came the one that brought up the rear of the group.

He wasn't a particularly big man, nor was he built that impressively. But the way he walked was enough of a warning sign to anyone to get out of his way. And, he walked straight into L's right side.

Light and Misa watched in horror as L was thrown slightly. Obviously he hadn't had many people shove him before, and honestly, neither of them could think of many people who would dare. But this was because they knew of what L often thought of when something like this happened.

An eye for an eye.

However, surprise entered L's face as his foot suddenly dropped off the curb. L reached out instinctively to anything, hoping to grab something to stop his fall into the road. With nothing in reach, he turned to prevent a damaging fall. He landed sharply on his right knee and hands.

"Ryuzaki!" Light yelled, leaving Misa's side and rushing forwards.

_My hands and knee hurt from hitting the tarmac, but it isn't anything that I can't endure. I suddenly notice that my left side is covered in light, and all I need is to turn my head to know that a vehicle was about to hit me._

_All I can do is stare at the upcoming vehicle. Why can't I move? Why can't I do anything to save my life? Why am I frozen?_

_It was then that I felt something grab the collar of my shirt and my shoulder and pull backwards. It was a choking feeling, but my body doesn't resist the motion. I feel my feet leave the ground, as if I was being thrown about, which isn't all that unlikely. I am grossly underweight, as Watari and Light continue to remind me._

_The next thing I feel was the right side of my face scraping against the pavement, and my forehead hurts terribly. It's almost as painful when Light had hit me, but only almost. I quickly sit up and turn to see who it was that had pulled me out of the road._

_It was Light. But, he is still over the road. Surely he knows how dangerous that is?_

_I watch him turn to look left, but I can't understand why he doesn't move back. Is he caught like I had been? Why won't he move? I then see him move just as a truck thunders past, but... it doesn't feel right that he should move like that._

_He jerks to the right and twists away from the road. I can see his arms flail about limply, as if he's not controlling them. He doesn't do anything to hinder his fall to the floor. He falls so slowly and when he lands... he lands so painfully I can't help but wince. And, when he doesn't move, I feel something gripping at my heart, but what?_

_I slowly get to my feet, but I don't bother straightening up, it would take too much time. I make my way to him, and no one else is moving. Why is no one moving? I look at his face and I can't believe what I see._

_Blood. His face is covered with the stuff. His eyes are only partially opened, and he's not looking at anyone._

_I understand now why it looked wrong when he moved. I look up to see that truck driving away, and I make sure that I memorise the licence plate for later. After I'm certain that I can recite the plate, I look back to Light._

_As I carefully check the rest of his body for injuries, I'm amazed as to how calm I am. Not even my breathing is elevated. I finally return my attention to Light's face, and I don't know what else there is for me to do. It has been minutes since he was hit, and I don't know what to do for him._

_I see him blink slowly and I call his name. I feel myself feel lifted when he slowly focuses his eyes on me. I say his name again, hoping to get more of a response, but I don't._

_I keep saying his name, but I don't know why. It's as if it is the only word left in my mind, the only word that I can speak._

_Light._

_Light._

_Light._


	2. Fracture

Author's Note: I decided that I'd write responses to my reviewers on the chapters, rather than just sending them a reply. So, here goes...

**Call-me-H.** I'm glad that the story has a draw for you, and thanks for saying my style is impressive. I started writing fanfiction to improve it dramatically, and it's nice to know that it has. Don't worry, Light's not going to die, and I'm kinda glad that you were close to tears. I almost cried when I wrote the scene. (The fact that I was listening to sad music probably didn't help me. ^_^) Things are going to get difficult for everyone in the taskforce, but mainly L and Light. As for LxLight yaoi... I'm not really into that kind of thing, so no, I'm afraid. No yaoi, sorry.

**puretsubasa **You reviewed just before I published this chapter, so I had to quickly go back and answer you. No, Light's not going to be suicidal, just severely hurt, as you might expect from getting hit by a speeding truck. As I said in the reply above, I don't see romance in L and Light's relationship. Friendship, yeah, but not romance. I'm glad you think the characters are in character, I always worry slightly about that. Uhh... I haven't decided on whether or not Light's going to be Kira, I have two plots at the moment, one for each choice. But, that's long in coming, and I'm swaying towards not being Kira. At the moment, the story is at the part where he's given up the notebook and has no memories of being Kira, so technically, he's not Kira. And as for the 'looking forward' thing that reviewers say... I actually like it when they say that. It gives me more motivation.

Now, here comes chapter two, and yes: I did quite a bit of research to make sure I got this right. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

It was extremely cramped in the ambulance, with the emergency staff attending the three people in there with them, two young men and a young woman. Two of them weren't that seriously injured, and were mainly being treated for shock.

The young woman was in tears and was gulping the air, rather than breathing normally. A young intern had the task of sitting with her and keeping her as calm as possible.

The older man was curled up and was staring fixatedly at the younger. He was shaking uncontrollably and no amount of blankets was easing that. He was breathing rapidly, but not enough for the staff to worry about him hyperventilating. His face was grazed and he had a small cut on his forehead, which was promptly addressed with a sterilised gauze patch and bandages to hold the patch in place.

The younger man had received a nasty head injury and the bleeding was worrying the staff. Neither of the other two riding in the ambulance would speak, but finding all three of them right next to the road was enough of an explanation. But the brunette was dimly watching the people around, which was a good sign. He often focused on the other man, either because of a closer relationship they had, or because the other man was solely focused on him, the staff couldn't tell. And, as long as they didn't lose him, they didn't really care.

The staff had taken the younger man's wallet and had looked through it for a name. They found him to be Light Yagami, and there was an emergency contact number as well for Soichiro Yagami, the man's father according to the details. And, by checking the woman's purse, the staff had concluded her to be Misa Amane, the actress/model/singer. However, there was no ID on the older man, and for some reason, none of the staff were surprised. He just... looked like the kind that would always end up getting named John Doe.

Soon enough, they arrived at the hospital. The staff quickly moved Light into the special trauma room. L followed them for as long as he could, watching Light continuously. He was dimly aware of what the doctors were saying.

"_What do we have?"_

"_What's his ICP?"_

"_Young male patient, believed to have been struck by a vehicle. We suspect TBI."_

"_23 mm Hg and rising."_

"_Someone give him a BVM."_

"_Let's get him into surgery."_

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you pass," someone mentioned to L, placing their hand on his chest to stop him.

L looked at them for a moment and then returned his attention to Light. He stood still as the young man was carted away on a gurney. The doctors had placed a mask over Light's mouth and a nurse had the task of methodically squeezing the bag that was attached to it. They had also inserted a needle into a blood vessel in his arm, and another nurse had to hold a bag of some clear liquid as high as she could.

L was sure that he could do one of those tasks, but decided not to protest. Instead, he allowed the person to guide him to a waiting reception. As he came close to a chair, he slipped his shoes off and sat in the chair as he normally would. From there, he waited for someone to come for him.

* * *

Soichiro charged into the waiting room. Mogi, Aizawa, and Matsuda were two steps behind him. They couldn't get the Chief's reaction to the phone call out of their heads.

Soichiro had at first frowned when the unknown number flashed up on his mobile, and had answered it professionally. However his face had dropped within five seconds of answering. Pure, unadulterated fear had been present in the man's face.

Mogi offered to come with him and drive. Soichiro may have been a police officer, but with that look, no one obeys the speed limit. With that, Aizawa and Matsuda also joined them in the trip up to the hospital

As soon as he entered the hospital, Soichiro darted to the receptionist's desk and asked for his son. It was then that he heard that his son was currently in surgery, and Soichiro felt all the strength leave his legs as his colleagues guided him to a nearby chair. He struggled to keep his breaths even as he lowered his head into his hands.

It was then that Matsuda looked across the waiting room and noticed L.

"Ryuzaki!" he called out, rushing past Soichiro and towards the young man.

L looked terrible. He was paler than usual, if that was even possible, and was shaking uncontrollably. He was clinging to the blankets that someone had kindly wrapped around the shivering detective's shoulders. He was also staring pointedly at one tile on the floor, and was ignoring everyone who tried talking to him.

"Excuse me? Do you know him?" an attending nurse asked Matsuda.

"Uh, yeah," Matsuda replied, quickly coming up with a lie to tell. "He's, uh... He's my cousin."

"Oh really? And his name is...?" the nurse prompted.

"Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki Matsui," Matsuda replied easily, using his alias.

"Okay then," the nurse nodded. "You can come and fill out a release form."

Matsuda smiled and nodded. He followed the nurse and walked past Soichiro and the others, who nodded slightly at him. He was gone for a couple of minutes before returning. He walked up to where the others were waiting.

"Quick thinking, _Matsui_," Mogi commented seriously, emphasising Matsuda's alias.

"Thanks," Matsuda smiled, proud that he'd done something right this time.

"What's with that?" Soichiro asked weakly, nodding to the covered plate in Matsuda's hand.

"An idea," Matsuda explained and walked off.

Without any other explanation, everyone watched him as he walked up to L. He knelt down slowly beside the catatonic young man. He removed the cover from the plate and revealed to all a rather large slice of decadent chocolate cake, complete with a slim fork on the side.

"Ryuzaki," Matsuda spoke softly as he offered the plate.

L blinked impassively, but other than that, there was no reaction. He didn't even react when Matsuda placed the plate and its temptation further into his field of vision.

Sighing sadly, Matsuda stood up. He shrugged to the others, which he received in return. It had been a good idea, at least in theory. Now Matsuda was standing there with a piece of that he wouldn't dare eat, not even if he had been five-years-old. And, he was certain that none of the others would want it, and he'd get some funny looks from the cafeteria staff if he came back with the cake.

He suddenly noticed that he'd felt a tug on his right hand. Surprised, he looked down.

L had one hand on the plate, but was still looking at that spot on the floor. He was patiently and silently waiting for Matsuda to let go.

Matsuda slowly loosened his grip on the plate. And, when he was confident that L was holding the plate with a reasonable amount of grip, he moved his hand away and finally let it fall to his side. He stayed where he was, waiting for L to move again.

Sure enough, L brought the plate close to himself and, after swapping hands, slowly began to tuck into the cake. He brought the first piece to his mouth and he let the taste wash over him. He closed his eyes to allow the taste and texture precedence in his mind as he slowly chewed and swallowed. He breathed in deeply through his nose, taking in the scent of the three different types of chocolate, letting it wake up roughly sixty percent of his thoughts that had somehow managed to block themselves away from his conscious mind.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Thank you.... Matsuda," L murmured.

"Uh... you're welcome, Ryuzaki," Matsuda replied nervously. "Um, can I get you something else, tea maybe?"

"That won't be necessary," L answered monotonously. "Hospitals rarely have an adequate brand of tea, and the staff of such places have a tendency to frown upon the consumption of a high number of simple sugars and carbohydrates."

Matsuda smiled at the others of the taskforce and watched as they slowly approached the young man, who had now engaged himself in eating the rest of the cake with ease.

L could already feel his reasoning and thought patterns returning to normal... well, almost normal. His mind was running through what had happened, and he was finding it somewhat confusing. Not just that. His powerlessness during the incident was the most disturbing part. How he couldn't move to save himself from the vehicle, and how he couldn't move to save Light.

_Light_...

"Chief Detective Soichiro Yagami," L called quietly. "Has Light come out of surgery, yet?"

"Uh, no," Soichiro answered sadly. "They say it was a hit-and-run."

"It was," L confirmed. "Do you have a pen and paper?"

All of the taskforce moved simultaneously, all searching themselves for the objects that L had requested. Mogi produced a pen, while Aizawa pulled out a receipt from his back trouser pocket. Unsure of what to do, as L didn't ask for them, Mogi and Aizawa handed the two items to Soichiro.

"I'd like you to copy down the following licence plate and charge the driver with speeding over the limit, causing grievous harm to a citizen, which may be turned into manslaughter if Light does not survive surgery," L explained before reciting the licence plate.

Soichiro did as he was told and looked venomously at the data. This was the vehicle that he struck his son. He was determined to find the culprit... no! He wanted to find out who it was and perhaps... he might post that information onto the internet. Kira might do him a service that way.

"I'll take that Chief," Mogi stated, his hand outstretched. "You just worry about Light. We'll catch the bastard."

Soichiro looked at Mogi for a moment before nodding in agreement. Despite this, he was reluctant to hand over the information. He slowly extended his hand out to Mogi and paused before the paper touched his subordinate's fingers. He breathed deeply and then handed over the receipt.

Feeling all of the emotion of the past ten minutes catch up with him, Soichiro sat down in the chair next to L, and after pulling off his glasses, he once again covered his face with his hands. He could feel himself shaking, and willed his tears not to shed. While he knew that none of the team would think less of him, he forced himself to believe that Light would be fine.

"Uh, looks like your wife and daughter have arrived, Chief," Aizawa noted, seeing Sayu and Sachiko appear at the entrance.

"Then it would be best that we leave," L commented, before raising his head slightly. "I believe I will have to sign out... or something equivalent."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Ryuzaki," Matsuda announced proudly. "I fill out the release form, saying you were my cousin."

L didn't speak, but looked at Matsuda in surprise. He then nodded slightly and moved stiffly off the chair. He slipped his feet into his loose trainers and looked around numbly for somewhere to put the now empty plate, not to mention the blanket that someone had draped over him.

"I can take that for you, sweetie," a nurse offered gently, smiling kindly.

At first, L felt quite affronted at being addressed as 'sweetie'. But, he then realised that he had been unresponsive for the best part of a half hour, if the trip on the way down from the road was taken into account. Also, with the way he dressed, though he didn't particularly care about it, he supposed he did look like someone who might not be... completely right at that moment in time. He decided that the woman wasn't being overly patronising, but was just treating like a complete idiot; she probably did it to everyone.

L handed her the plate and blanket, thanking her quietly, before turning to Matsuda, Mogi and Aizawa. He felt Mogi place a hand on his back, as if to guide him out. He knew this was only a performance, but he had to admit; it did feel nice to have that feeling that someone was there for him.

"You'll let us know if anything changes, won't you Chief?" Matsuda asked timidly.

"Yes, of course," Soichiro nodded, thankful for Matsuda's concern, for everyone else that Matsuda was speaking for.

And with that, with nothing else to say, the taskforce walked out of the hospital. They left the Yagami family to cry over the accident, to comfort each other, and to pray for Light. As everyone filed into the car, everyone offered their own silent prayers to the young man that was fighting for his life in a sterilised operating room.

* * *

Time passed slowly. Two hours crawled past Soichiro as he paced the waiting room, occasionally sitting with his wife and daughter, before restlessness took him once again. The last time he had spent this long in a hospital, waiting, had been when Sayu had been due. Thinking about that time, with a three-year-old Light waiting with him, made the man smile slightly.

"Dad," Sayu's voice broke through her father's thoughts.

Turning around, Soichiro saw a doctor approaching them, looking very tired. His scrubs had obviously been changed, as they looked extremely fresh.

Soichiro joined his family, wrapping his arms around his wife, while resting a hand on Sayu's shoulder. It almost felt like he could protect them from bad news, and he wished it were true. Judging by the doctor's grave face, he steeled himself for the worst.

"How's Light?" Soichiro asked, feeling his stomach plummet.

"He's in serious condition, but stable for the time being," the doctor answered. "The next few hours will be crucial."

The Yagami family let out a sigh of relief. Sachiko looked to ceiling and gave a quiet 'thank you' prayer to whatever god out there that was watching over her son. Sayu hugged her father, tears of happiness flowing down her cheeks.

"Can..." Soichiro swallowed the lump in his throat. "Can we see him?"

"You can't go into the room, but there is window that you can look through," the doctor offered.

After quickly glancing at his family, Soichiro nodded and everyone followed the doctor lead them through.

Soichiro slowly approached the glass, with Sayu following him, and Sachiko bringing up the rear. They instantly gasped at the sight before them.

Light was covered with the blue, sterile cloth that hospitals used. The cloth was covering the top-part of his head. He looked almost peaceful, with his eyes closed as if sleeping, if only he didn't have tubes in his mouth and nose. A needle had been inserted into blood vessels in his arms, and were connected to IV drip.

Small pads on Light's chest were hooked up to an ECG machine, which was beeping slowly and steadily. His chest was rising at an even rate, and he did not seem to be having problems breathing. On what was visible of his forehead were tiny pads that were linked to an EEG reader.

None of the readings on the machines meant anything to Soichiro. He turned to the doctor, who was standing by the door. Seeing that he was wanted for an explanation, the man stepped forward.

"You son is breathing on his own, which is very favourable. The tube is just a precaution, just to make sure his airways don't close up," the doctor clarified. "His heart-rate is a little low, but not enough to cause great concern."

"What-" Sayu broke off to take a calming breath. "Why does he have that cloth around his head?"

"Umm," the doctor stalled, not feeling comfortable saying the reason in front of the young lady.

Soichiro noticed this and turned to the doctor expectantly. His face made it obvious that he would tell Sayu even if she was to leave the room.

"Your son has suffered a traumatic brain injury, it caused the pressure inside his skull to rise," the doctor began. "In order to relieve pressure and reduce the risks of further damage, we removed a piece of his skull to allow his brain to swell without restriction."

Soichiro felt himself go cold. _Light... traumatic brain injury...? A piece of his skull removed...? His brain had swelled...?_

"By doing this, we're allowing his brain to heal and return to its normal size," the doctor continued. "For that reason, we're covering the exposed area to avoid infection. That's why you cannot enter yet."

Soichiro nodded as he turned back to Light. How wrong it seemed that his son looked so peaceful when his body almost seemed to have turned against him. The hopes he had held for Light were diminishing rapidly.

* * *

In the room on the other side of the glass, where Light was fighting for his life, was another person. Standing by his side, looking down on the unconscious young man, Ryuk laughed.

"Well, Light," the Shinigami cackled. "You certainly know how to make things interesting, don't you?"


	3. Shatter

Author's Note: I'm not entirely sure how long Light was without the Death Note, since it was never specified in the anime. Obviously it's like a couple of months, but if anyone knows the exact timeframe, I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me. Also, I'm leaving the story kinda short this chapter so that the last scene that I had planned on writing will be longer and more detailed in the beginning of the next chapter. Anyway, onto the reviews.

**Lucky Koi** Thanks for both of your reviews; I'm glad you like what I've done so far.

**Zena Silverwing** Sorry about the 'no yaoi' thing, but I will try and put something in that has hints for all yaoi fans. The scene I'm thinking of will be in a chapter that's kinda far into the story, so I'm afraid you'll just have to hang around and wait for that. Thanks for compliment, I appreciate it. And, the beginning of reactions will show up in the next chapter.

**Koolneko22 **Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Will Light forget anything? Possibly... I can't really tell you anything at the moment, since it would all be spoilers. Sorry. And as for Ryuk, again, if I said anything it would be spoilers. But, remember that his Death Note is buried in the park? He's got nothing better to do than to watch Light.

**Chucky1982** I'm glad you like it so far, and I'll try to keep you interested. When I said I wasn't sure about Light being Kira, I meant I wasn't sure if I would make him become Kira again. And I agree with you on the 'Light never being Kira' idea. It takes so much away from his relationship with L. And as I said to Koolneko22, I can't really say anything about Ryuk being there.

So, review replies done with. Now, onto chapter three... Enjoy!

* * *

Days ticked by in the Kira Investigation Headquarters quite slowly. Every since Soichiro had called and given the team an update on Light, the atmosphere had been extremely crushing on everyone. No one was speaking much, as if words were only damning Light's chances, even if the subject had nothing to do with him.

L was even more sullen than the others, and hardly moved from his chair. While this wasn't particularly odd, the fact that he didn't seem overly interested in eating the number of treats that Watari prepared for him was worrisome. And, to make the case all the more concerning, he seemed to be distracted by Light's empty chair.

On the desk next to Light's chair was the handcuffs and chain that had kept the two inseparable until that evening. No one had thought to move it, as everyone had been certain that he would return the cuffs to their wrists when they returned from the 'date'. After what had happened, Mogi had moved the chair and cuffs, which had not gone down well with L. Light's chair and the cuffs were then promptly returned to their previous position.

The truck driver had been found two days after the incident, and had been charged as L had instructed. Unfortunately, everyone knew he probably would never get to court. There was hardly any evidence, and only the testimony of two youngsters. No... he would get to court, and the man that had nearly killed Light would walk free.

It was the one moment when the entire taskforce unanimously wished that Kira would kill. They all knew that it was wrong to wish the man dead, but they could no longer pretend to hold to high ideals. They all wanted someone dead, now they couldn't say that they were better than Kira.

Of course, Matsuda came into work on the seventh morning since the incident with the news that everyone had silently prayed for.

"Hey guys," Matsuda called quietly, wincing slightly as he broke the uncomfortable silence. "You won't believe what's in the paper. It... It's one of Kira's latest victims."

No one spoke, but waited for Matsuda to continue. They all looked expectantly at him, even L had taken unprecedented interest in the news.

"It... it was the guy who hit Light. He was cleared of all charges and as it says in the paper 'he took three steps of freedom before clutching his chest and falling down the steps of the precinct. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and coroners later announced that he died of a sudden heart attack'," Matsuda recited from the paper. "It even mentions Light's name."

Mogi and Aizawa looked at each other, both wondering the same question. Even Matsuda could tell what implications this put on Light, and Misa. The three of them looked over to L, fearing what the man would say.

"This is interesting," L remarked. "Information concerning Light's incident was only broadcasted locally, which means that Kira is still in this region of Japan. Also, I researched the man's past, and it seems that he has been accused several times for minor offenses. He was never officially charged."

"So... what does that mean, Ryuzaki?" Aizawa asked curiously.

"It means that Kira has taken out a minor criminal, who was never charged. I wonder if there is a pattern in this... if so, then we may be dealing in a third Kira," L explained.

With that, L turned back to his computer screen, and began typing furiously. Matsuda looked to Mogi and Aizawa with a hopeful look, which they returned graciously. They had all been worried that L might make the assumption that someone close to Light might have killed the truck driver as an act of revenge for Light, which would put Misa under suspicion once again.

_Ding-Badda-Bing-Badda-Ding-Ding-Ding!_

Everyone jumped at the sound of a mobile phone. Mogi then delved into his pocket and, after catching his breath, answered.

"Hello? Mogi speaking," he greeted. "Yes Chief?... I see... Yes... That's- that's good news. Yes... Yes, I'll let everyone know... Yes, Chief I-... Yes, Chief. I'm glad to hear it. Okay, I'll update them... Yes, Matsuda just told us... Okay, yes I'll tell them. Okay Chief... Yes... Goodbye."

Mogi sighed in relief as he put his phone away. He smiled slightly as he looked up. He could see that Matsuda was twitching to ask what Soichiro had to tell them. He took in a deep breath and prayed that the news would finally break the tension in the room.

"Light went through another surgery overnight to replace the piece of his skull, and he came through the whole thing just fine," Mogi recounted, relief evident in his tone. "Apparently, the doctors are thinking that he's in a coma and the hope that he's going to wake up is..."

Mogi paused as tried to remember the percentage that Soichiro had told him. He could see that Aizawa and Matsuda were eager for the rest of the update, and he didn't have to look around to know that L was listening intently.

"It would be my guess is that Light's chances are roughly seventy percent over the next few days," L remarked indifferently from his chair, not turning to face the others. "The chances drop as the length of time is extended."

With that, L slid off his chair and made his way to the stairs. He ignored the looks of shock and outrage that the others were giving him. He could hear Matsuda asking Mogi how close he had been to what Soichiro had said. He shut the rest out of his mind and took the secret passage that none of them knew about. It was the corridor that lead to Watari's mainframe room.

He stood behind his handler for a while, unsure of what it was he really wanted to talk about. He knew that he could talk to Watari about anything that was bothering him, even nightmares of his past that would sometimes invade his limited amount of sleep. But, at this particular point in time, L found himself to be utterly clueless as to what he wanted.

"Yes, Ryuzaki? What is it?" Watari asked without turning to face the young man.

"I... can't get it out of my head," L answered unsurely, shifting uneasily.

"You mean the case, or Light Yagami's accident?" Watari offered, although his tone revealed that he already knew the answer.

"Light," L replied. "I... I don't understand why he did what he did."

"Because you are a friend of his," Watari explained. "You were in danger, and as your friend and as a good citizen, he moved to save your life."

"But, he put himself in danger," L pointed out. "And, I didn't do anything to save him. I just stayed still and let him get hurt."

"Ryuzaki," Watari spoke softly as he turned round to view the insecure man before him. "You described everything that happened that night in great detail to me. Do you remember telling me how calm you were and how slow everything around was?"

L looked away from the old man as he thought about that night. He could remember everything as if it had been yesterday and not a week ago. He felt his stomach sink as he realised how long Light had been in intensive care. Suddenly feeling unable to speak, he nodded to Watari.

"It is common for people under great amounts of stress to perceive time differently. What you thought took a minute was no more than a couple of seconds," Watari reminded.

"I'm aware of how perception of time can be altered, Watari," L retorted, surprising himself.

"I know, Ryuzaki," Watari agreed calmly. "But you seem to have failed to realise that, since mere seconds passed, there was no possible way for you to do anything. There was no time for you to reach out and help Light Yagami. He probably knew that he would get hurt by pulling you out of the way."

L didn't reply. His chest felt so tight, he almost wondered if Kira had found out his name and was giving him a heart attack. But, he knew that the feeling was self-inflicted, although he couldn't explain how. His throat felt like someone was trying to strangle him, and his head was beginning to swim. He vaguely noticed Watari leave his seat and step towards him. He felt his handler place a warm hand on his shoulder and squeeze gently.

As he blinked, L felt something warm fall down his face. He looked up to Watari's old, weathered face and he felt twenty years younger. He felt like the scared kid that he had been when he had arrived at Wammy's House, looking to Watari for comfort that he was never sure if he deserved.

"I don't believe I have seen that face for twenty or so years, Ryuzaki," Watari mentioned kindly, obviously thinking along the same lines.

Silently, Watari moved his hand from L's shoulder and cupped the young man's jaw. He rubbed his thumb gently across his charge's cheek, wiping the unspoken tear away. He was certain that he could see the child that he had loved as his own beneath those dark bags.

"You're upset because you were powerless to help a friend, Ryuzaki," Watari explained. "It's not something you are used to, and that powerlessness is frightening to everyone. Detective Yagami is feeling that as he's waiting for Light to heal and live, or give up and die. My prayers are with the young man, but I am powerless to help, just like you."

Another tear fell silently down L's face as he faced the truth that he had tried to hide from for the past week.

_I understood then what Watari meant. I have never been in that situation before. I have never been so powerless. Even when the second Kira had forced Sakura TV to broadcast those tapes, and Ukita had been killed, I might have been powerless to save him. But, I wasn't there. I was watching him die on TV, and I saved Aizawa from running to his death._

_But, I wasn't a metre away from Light and I couldn't do a thing._

_I... was truly powerless._

* * *

L was staring at the computer screen in front of him. The screen hadn't changed for the last ten minutes, the data for the recent Kira killings blaring unintelligibly at him. From his peripheral vision, he saw Light's chair move slightly.

_If Mogi is trying to move his chair again..._

L glared over to the man who was thinking of removing Light's chair, and his face fell in surprise as he watched Light sit down. The young man seemed oblivious to L's bewilderment as he logged on and began typing away.

L blinked quickly, as if the man before him would disappear into thin air if he had his eyes closed for any length of time. But, the apparition didn't leave, and seemed to be as solid as L. Confident that what he seeing was real, L looked over his shoulder to see that only Matsuda was in the room, and he was deep in sleep.

"How are you here?" L asked bluntly. "You're in the hospital in a coma."

"You've fallen asleep, Ryuzaki," Light mentioned simply. "And, I have to say; this is a rather boring dream, even for you."

L blinked. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he believed Light completely. It could have been that Light was sitting next to him and was completely unharmed. He knew that this was untrue as he had seen the mess Light had been in.

"I probably don't look nearly as bad as I did," Light commented, as if he had heard L's musing. "After all, that piece of my skull has been put back, so my head's probably covered up in bandages."

"You don't know?" L asked disbelievingly.

"Well, this is your dream, so I can only know what you know," Light countered, still not looking at L.

L looked down at Light's hands and saw that he was typing nonsense. A quick check to the screen showed that nothing that was being typed was appearing on the screen. Nonsense typing that doesn't appear on screen... that settled it, L was definitely dreaming.

"Well, you haven't slept for the past ten days, Ryuzaki. Even you were bound to fall asleep sooner or later," Dream-Light reproached.

As L watched the Dream-Light continue to type nonsense into his computer that didn't take the words, a phantom tray appeared between them. It was full of cakes, pastries and all other manners of sweets that L ate so contentedly. However, he didn't touch the tray or the food that had been laid out on it. As he looked at the variety of brightly covered temptations, he felt his stomach growl.

"You should have something, Ryuzaki," Dream-Light suggested as he turned away from his screen to help himself to a cream centred éclair. "You haven't slept, and you've barely eaten. I'm sure Watari is close to getting anti-depressants for you."

"I'm not depressed," L declared hotly.

"Really?" Dream-Light scoffed. "You conclude that I'm not Kira and you get depressed, but when I get hit by a truck... you're fine?"

L didn't answer. He knew it was pointless since, as Light had said, this was a dream. Obviously his overly-tired mind had conjured up Light to talk to him and let him know things that he wouldn't consciously admit. That being said, he still didn't want to admit them, least of all being depressed.

"Eat something, Ryuzaki," Dream-Light ordered.

L looked unhappily at his dream, but reluctantly took a piece of cake that had cream and strawberries. He took the fork in his usual manner and speared the strawberry. He put the berry into his mouth and chewed but swallowed dissatisfied.

"You don't have to punish yourself, Ryuzaki," Dream-Light sighed wearily.

"I know that," L answered honestly.

"Then... why are you punishing yourself?" Light looked at him sadly.

Suddenly feeling the strawberry turn against him, L put the plate and fork down. He breathed in deeply, trying to push down the nauseous feeling in his gut. Despite trying to exhale calmly, his breath came out jaggedly. He raised his hand to cradle his chin, while he traced his mouth with his thumb. He idly bit down gently on his nail as he thought of his answer for his subconscious that had decided to appear in Light's image.

"Because... I should have been able to do something," L answered at last.

"Despite the fact that you know there was nothing you could have done," Light stated incredulously.

Again, L decided not to comment. For the last ten days he had felt guilty for being powerless and, even though he knew he was being foolish, he couldn't find a reason to stop.

"I still have to apologise," L explained.

"Then you should wake up and tell me," Light recommended.

"You won't hear me," L pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need to hear you. The fact is you need to hear yourself say sorry, and that's all that matters. Besides, I've only got my family with me at the moment. It would be nice to have someone else came to visit me," Light contemplated, tucking into his éclair.

L watched Light for a moment. Then, his stomach growled at him, and he picked up his own plate again. He took a small portion of the cake and put it into his mouth.

This time, he swallowed contentedly.


	4. Splinter

Author's Note: My updates on this story will probably start to slow down a bit. It's back to college on Thursday for me, so I won't have nearly as much time as I do now. I thought I'd leave you all on a little cliff hanger, so I hope everyone will forgive me. Anyway, onto the replies.

**Zena Silverwing** I'm glad you liked L's dream and how I showed his subconscious. I thought it just fit and it also seemed kind of ironic to have it visualised as Light. I was hoping for depth in this story, so I'm happy you think I got that, and L is visiting Light this chapter. So, I hope you like it.

**merichuel** Poor L? Yeah, I guess you're right. Stuff like that just doesn't really happen to him does it? And as for Light, his head doesn't have a hole anymore, and I suppose he would freak about his haircut but his head's covered in bandages, so he's not going to notice for a while.

**Lucky Koi **I'm glad that you like the realism. I try to do that with most of my stories, and it makes the whole thing more interesting, don't you think? Also, I'm a pretty steady going person. I don't like to rush, so I guess I incorporate that into my writing style, as long as I'm not going too slowly. ^_^

So, onto chapter four now. I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

L stopped as he entered the waiting room. Last time he had been here, Light was being carted off to a surgery in an attempt to save his life. That attempt had been successful, but L was hesitant to venture in any further none the less.

"Mr Matsui?" came a young female voice. "Mr Ryuzaki Matsui?"

_Ryuzaki Matsui? Oh yes, that's right. Matsuda used his alias to sign me out of here._

L turned round to find himself looking at a young nurse. She couldn't have been much older than him. She had a pretty face, not that L was interested at all, and she was smiling politely at him. She wasn't the woman who had taken his empty plate and blanket that night, she wasn't the one who had addressed him as 'sweetie'. But, she did look familiar.

"I'm Akeno," the young lady introduced. "I was the nurse attending the reception when you came in with your friend. You cousin signed your release form."

"Release form... that makes it sound like I was in jail," L commented.

Akeno's face fell slightly, and her smile dropped. Her look made L wish he hadn't mentioned it, but he couldn't take back words, and he wasn't about to start trying now.

"I'm looking to see my friend, Light Yagami," L explained when Akeno didn't say anything.

"Of course," Akeno nodded, her smile returning. "If you'll follow me, I'll see what room he's in."

L followed her without a word. He was glad that someone had spoken to him, rather than the other way around. As foolish and as childish as it was, L hated to ask someone for advise of directions. Watari might have been an exception to this, but only slightly.

Akeno made her way around the hospital reception desk and looked up Light's room number. When she had it, she wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it to L, who took it without comment. She watched him turn to leave, when he suddenly turned back.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"Not at all," she smiled. "Do you know how to get there?"

"I'll find it," L stated. "Just out of simple curiosity, why is it that you smile so much?"

Akeno blinked in surprise. Of all the questions he could have asked, he was asking why she was smiling. There were just some people Akeno simply didn't understand.

"Uhh," she stalled while trying to think of a good explanation, laughing slightly at herself. "I... I usually work in the children's ward. They're less afraid of hospitals if the staff smile at them and make them laugh and smile too. I guess it's just habit now for me to smile when I'm at work."

She shrugged and walked off to attend another person who had just walked in, leaving L to find Light's room on his own.

L wondered over to the elevator and looked at the sign that told visitors which ward was which floor. He looked down at the post-it note with Light's room number and ward, and scanned the sign again. Finally, he came to the conclusion that Light was on the fourth floor, and that hospitals really needed to rethink their floor plans, or at the very least, have better signs.

He entered the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. As the metal box slowly began to rise, L looked back down at the note, hoping that he had gotten the floor right. He hated being wrong and a hospital seemed to be purposefully designed to confuse visitors.

The doors opened with that automated voice mechanically calling out the floor number, and L stepped out into another waiting area. But this time he could see beds that were laid out in rooms that were semi-separated from the main corridor.

He looked down at the paper for the umpteenth time to check the ward name, and then looked around for a sign or map that would tell him where to go.

What he found was Misa Amane.

She was wearing her usual attire of Gothic princess, and her makeup had run slightly, proving that she had been crying. She stopped once she saw L. She was still for a moment as they just stared at each other. Misa slowly started walking again. She was heading straight for L, and she didn't seem bothered by the fact. She stopped a few feet away from him.

"Hey Ryuzaki," she greeted awkwardly. "How are you?"

He shrugged to the question. Seeing her bite her lip slightly and nod was enough for L to know that she understood what he was saying. She was probably feeling the exact same. On the outside, she was fine enough, but inside, she was a wreck. It would take just one thing, a poorly chosen word, a thoughtless action, and her self-composure would shatter.

L knew that feeling, and it scared him. It scared him because he had never felt so fragile inside before. It scared him because he didn't know anything about what to do when the mask before you breaks and leaves you exposed. It was frightening to him.

"I guess you're here to see Light, huh?" Misa asked, blushing at the stupidity of the question.

L nodded. He knew that it was a dumb question, they both did, but it was one that someone asks just to keep a conversation going. He didn't know how to really answer her, and he decided to ask her if she'd just seen Light. It was again one of those dumb questions, but it kept the conversation going.

He opened his mouth when-

"He- he doesn't look that bad now," Misa stated, her breathing hitched every so often.

L looked at her in his usual way, unashamedly. Tears were once again creeping their way down Misa's face. Her eyes were focused on something that L couldn't see, probably Light's appearance when she last saw him.

"He doesn't look that bad at all," she repeated. "It's like he's just sleeping..."

L's eyes flicked over Misa's figure and he noticed the tremors that were increasing in strength. He felt his stomach drop in anticipation as he realised that the young lady was about to break down, and he was going to have to be the one to catch the pieces. He was suddenly beginning to regret coming, and he hadn't even seen Light yet.

Awkwardly, he took his hands out of his jean pockets and extended them away from his body and in Misa's general direction. The closest physical interaction he had ever had was through Watari, and Light if a fight counted as close contact. Now, he was offering a hug to the most annoying person he knew.

Something was wrong with this picture.

However Misa didn't seem to notice the awkwardness. She had probably been so desperate for comfort, that she was willing to take it from anyone. The fact that that anyone was L probably made the whole thing slightly better, in the sense that he was someone she knew, and much worse, in the fact that she looked so bad that even L felt sorry for her.

She stifled a sob as she closed the distance between her and L and she wrapped her arms around his slim waist, raised her hands to rest at his shoulder blades and took great folds of his shirt in her hands. She rested her chin on his shoulder and began to cry.

Unable to do anything else, L put his arms around her gently and laid his hands flat across her back. After a while, one of his hands moved up to hold the back of her head while the other began to slowly rub the area between her shoulder blades. He felt her crying increase, and he wondered if he was doing the wrong thing. However, he realised that while she was crying harder, she would use up her tears sooner and would calm down quicker. He flinched slightly as Misa opened her hands to collect more of his shirt into her hands, scratching him while doing so, but remained motionless otherwise.

He looked to his left to see a doctor walk out of one of those wards. The man seemed to understand what was going on with just a brief glance. The doctor walked over to the reception and pulled out some tissues from a hidden tissue box. He them walked up to L and held out the tissues.

L took them with his right hand and flashed a smile at the man in thanks. He watched the doctor return the smile sympathetically, before returning to his rounds.

It was a few seconds later that L felt Misa's death grip weaken on his shirt. He froze and loosened his already loose hold on her. In an unspoken understanding, the pair of them stepped back and looked at each other. Misa looked a little embarrassed at her break down, and wasn't looking at L, but to the floor.

L lifted his right hand and offered the tissues to her. Misa laughed slightly, not expecting L to have tissues, and took them. She mumbled a thank you to him before dabbing her eyes and cheeks. Her makeup was ruined, unless she wanted to go with the look of decaying sanity, with her eyeliner running in streaks down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," L mentioned, unsure of what exactly it was he was sorry about. Something just told him that he had set her off.

"No, it's me," Misa protested calmly. "I just keep thinking about you and Light, and how I couldn't do a thing to help. He was so quick when he grabbed you, but the- that truck just came thundering past so fast. I... couldn't do anything. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. All I could do was cry."

_So, I'm not the only one who felt powerless,_ L thought, surprised. He had berated himself for not doing anything to save Light, and here was Misa Amane who was doing the exact same thing. It seemed so foolish for them to doing this.

"I don't think Light would want you to be beating yourself over this," L commented, trying to say it as kindly as he could, though he wasn't sure if he had accomplished.

"I know," Misa agreed. "But, I also felt so bad for leaving you there in the waiting room."

L felt his stomach drop again. He had been completely unresponsive that evening until Matsuda had shoved cake under his nose. At first, he had taken it out of habit, just like he did with Watari. He hadn't even noticed Matsuda to begin with. It had taken quite a bit of time for him truly come back to be a functioning member of the taskforce.

"I sat next you for about ten minutes, but you weren't speaking to me, so I just signed my name and I went back to the apartments," she explained, being careful not to mention that those 'apartments' were the headquarters for the Kira Investigation taskforce. "I felt so terrible as I went home. I was about to go back when I saw everyone come back, and you were with them. SO, I just went back to my room."

L noticed that tears were threatening to flow from Misa's eyes again. With no desire to have her cry on his shoulder for a second time in the next hour, L quickly thought of an answer.

"Nothing like this has happened to me before," L explained. "I didn't know how to cope, so... I guess I didn't it take very well."

Misa smiled at him weakly. She knew he was trying to cheer her up, or at the very least, make her feeling like she didn't have to cry. She knew that L had come to see Light, not her, and decided that she'd taken up enough of his time.

Knowing that words would be inaccurate for how much she wanted to say, Misa stepped forward. She gave L a peck on the cheek before rushing off to the elevator. She waved him goodbye as the doors closed.

L stood rooted to the spot. He had seen Misa wave at him, but he couldn't move a muscle. All he could do was blink. He could see the receptionist trying valiantly not to smile at his predicament, but her lips were twitching constantly.

Eventually, L managed to turn his head to glare at the receptionist. However, the woman didn't seem bothered. Instead of being offended, she smiled sweetly at him before returning her attention to her work.

Feeling his annoyance break the hold that Misa's kiss had put on him, L walked down the corridor that he had seen Misa come from. It was quite a simple plan. All he had to do was walk around and not going down any side corridors. He could look around all he wanted and he would hopefully find Light or his family, or he would just end up back at the elevators.

A simple plan and, as it turned out, an effective one.

* * *

Soichiro Yagami was sitting in a chair outside a small, private room. He had a cup of coffee with him and looked dead on his feet. He turned slightly at the approaching footsteps, wondering who it could be. His eyes widened as he realised who it was, and wondered if he had fallen asleep. He rose from his seat and watched L approach.

L looked to the ajar door and then back to Soichiro. He frowned in confusion, and knew that the older man understood.

"I can't only stay in there for so long, before it gets to me," Soichiro explained wearily. "The heart monitor, his stillness... it just gets too much too easily."

L nodded, not completely understanding what he meant. He looked back to the door and the back to Soichiro. When he nodded and sat back in the chair, L took it as granted permission and he entered.

It wasn't what he had expected at all. He had been expecting a dark room with the only light trained on the motionless patient, but the whole room was filled with vibrancy. The room was compact, but not small. The equipment took up a lot of space, but not enough to make the room cramped. There was plenty of space for a couple of chairs and for people to move unhindered.

L took the second chair, the one that was near Light's feet. He could see Light perfectly, without having to be uncomfortably close. He slipped off his trainers and sat in the chair.

Misa had been right. Light didn't look all that bad at all. True, his head was wrapped in bandages, which probably meant that Light would have a very odd haircut, unless the staff had taken it all off.

The thought of Light having a bald head made L smile. He was almost looking forward to it. Then he remembered why Light would be bald and his smile fell. He then realised that he had no idea what to say.

Light was lying before him. His eyes were closed, but seemed to be dancing beneath his lids. It was as if he was about to wake up in the next minute. It was as if he was trying to open his eyes with lids that weighed a ton.

However, L knew that it was nothing but rapid eye movement, something akin to when people dream. L wondered if Light really was dreaming, and if so, he wondered what the dream was, what it was about, and if Light wanted to wake up from it.

"Hey Light," he greeted his friend finally.

He felt foolish for talking to Light, but he knew that that was the only way Light was going to know that he had come to visit, if Light knew that anyone was there. He was sure that people would talk about things that they shared with the person they were talking to. However, it became painfully obvious that he didn't know that much at all about Light. The only interest he knew that he shared with Light was the Kira case.

_He's not really going to be able to hear me, so I might as well talk to him about that,_ L reasoned to himself. But, how was he to begin?

His eyes caught sight of a range of flowers in several vases that had been laid out across a table, along with several get well soon cards. He left the chair to look through the cards. There was a card from the Yagami family, from Misa, from several people that L didn't know, and then there was a card for every member of the taskforce. Even Watari had sent a card. What got L was that Watari had not only signed his own name, but L's as well, or 'Ryuzaki' at least.

"it seems that a lot of people wish you would wake up soon," L observed. "I never thought one person could have so many people care about their wellbeing."

He snuck a glance at Light. Nothing had changed. Light was still unconscious, and L chastised himself for thinking differently. It wasn't right for him hope that Light would suddenly wake up for him. Misa had probably been hoping the same thing for a fortnight, as had Light's family. He suddenly felt like he had no right to hope for Light to wake up because he was there.

"The case isn't progressing nearly as quickly as I hoped it would," L stated, wondering if that was a good place to start. "It seems that our progress has decrease exponentially since you have been in here."

Again, Light didn't respond. His chest rose and fell gracefully and evenly as he breathed. His heart rate hadn't changed. He hadn't even twitched.

L felt something crumple inside him. He returned to the chair. He could feel his eyes watering, but he used sheer willpower to force the tears back. He wouldn't allow himself to cry. The tears he had shed in front of Watari had been a shock, and he had no desire to cry now. It just wasn't something that he did.

He gripped his shins tighter than he had intended to, but it rooted him none the less. He looked back to his friend, and felt his heart tear just that little bit more. He opened his mouth, but nothing he wanted to say came out. It was like something else, some other being was using his mouth.

"I believe you know something," he heard himself say. "I believe you know something that would help the current deaths make sense. I believe you can help, Light."

Light's right eye twitched and then settled. For that one moment, L had felt his heart inflate to the point of bursting. When nothing else happened, he felt himself fall deeper into himself, and he silently but finally admitted depression.

"Please, Light," he whispered pleadingly. "Please help me on this. Please help me, Light"

Feeling his eyes watering again, he pressed his eyes into his knees. He couldn't take this! He now understood why Soichiro was spending time in the corridor. To talk to Light and know that every word was falling on deaf ears, knowing that nothing he said made a difference to Light... it was unbearable for L.

"Ry...u..."

L's head shot up as if he'd been electrocuted. He stared wildly around the room so he could rule out anyone else. He then let his eyes fall on Light Yagami.

His heart skipped a beat.


End file.
